Mother: Son’s death allowed others to live

April 17, 2013

SHANNONDALE - Sari Croson has come a long way in the five years since her 21-year-old son, Timmy, died in a motorcycle accident on Interstate 81 near Martinsburg.

Strongly rooted in her faith and surrounded by a loving family, she accepts her late son's fate and is able to talk about it.

She knows his life had meaning and others are better for having been touched by him - especially the dozens of folks who were helped by his organ donation following the fatal accident on April 26, 2008.

Article Photos

Journal photo by Jenni Vincent

Since losing her son Timmy in a motorcycle accident five years ago, Sari Croson is passionate about organ donations and likes to help spread the word about how many folks are still waiting to receive a necessary organ.

While it is always important that folks consider organ donation, Croson is especially eager to spread this message during the month of April, since it is national Donor Awareness Month.

It's a way to honor her own son and keep his memory alive, plus urge others to also pledge to donate their organs, she said.

"In the beginning, we planted a tree in his honor because I had read about planting this kind of garden. I also liked the idea because we wanted to do something that would last and grow the way he would have grown. Each year we've added things like Easter lilies, and there is also a flag out there now," Croson said.

Although his death was a shock, it didn't take long for Croson and her family - including husband Wayne, daughters Elisabeth, Rebecca, Lauren and sons Joshua, Joel, Adam and Caleb -to know that organ donation was the right thing to do, she said.

"In fact, we suggested it. I just felt like Timmy needed to be the answer to some other mother's prayers," Croson said with a smile.

While his major organs could not be donated, it was possible to make a secondary donation which included things such as his eyes, tissue and long bones, she said.

As a result, 44 individuals in 26 states as well as British Columbia in Canada were the recipients of his gifts, Croson said.

Two individuals who were blind can now see, including a woman in West Virginia, Croson said, pausing momentarily as her own eyes began to fill with tears.

"It really is amazing to know how many others now have a better quality of life because of how Timmy was able to help them. But that's how he was in life - never met a stranger, always willing to help people - so it's appropriate that would continue for him," she said.